Earth-anchor.



No. 809,374. PATENTED JAN. 9, 1906.

E. G. & H. HOLDEN. EARTH ANCHOR.

APPL IIIIIIIIIIIII no.9. 1904.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EZRA G. HOLDEN AND HARRY HOLDEN, OF DES MOINES, IOWA.

EARTH-ANCHOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 9, 1906.

Application filed December 9, 1904. Serial No= 236,101.

T0 all whom it natty concern:

Be it known that we, EZRA C. HOLDEN and HARRY HOLDEN, citizens of theUnited States, residing at Des Moines, in the county of Polk and Stateof Iowa, have invented a certain new and useful Earth-Anchor, of whichthe following is a specification.

The objects of our invention are to provide a folding earth-anchor ofsimple, durable, and inexpensive construction in which there are rodsfor holding the body portion of the anchor at substantially right anglesto the rods when it is placed in position in the ground for use.

A further object is to provide means which are attached to the bodyportion adjacent to the ends, so that the body portion may be turnedreadily from a position at substantially right angles to the rods to aposition where the attaching points of these rods come substantially inline with them, so that the body portion can be inserted into a hole ofcomparatively small diameter and then turned by the rods attached to it,so that the ends of the body portion will enter the ground at the sidesof the hole and be held firmly in that position when the hole is filledup.

Our invention consists in certain details in the construction,arrangement, and combination of the various parts of the device, wherebythe objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully setforth, pointed out in our claims, and illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which Figure 1 shows the complete device in the ground andconnected with a post in the manner in which it is ordinarily used. Fig.2 is a detail view showing the anchor in its folded position, and Fig. 3is a detail view showing the anchor in the earth in its unfoldedposition.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, we have used thereference-numeral 10 to indicate a curved body portion which is substantially semicircular in cross-section and has rounded ends. In oneend of the body portion and adjacent to the top of each side of it is aloop 13. In the other end of the body portion and near the upper portionof each side of it is a loop 14:. Extending around one end of the bodyportion and through the loops 13 is a metal strap 15, having an opening16 in each end of it. Extending around the other end of the body portionand through the loops 1 1 is the metal strap 17, having a loop 18 ateach end of it. Pivotally attached to the loops 16 is a rod 19, whichhas two diverging portions 20 and 21 at its lower end that are passedthrough the openings 16 and secured to the strap 15. Pivotally attachedto the strap 17 is the rod 22, having two diverging portions similar tothe diverging portions 20 and 21 of the rod 19, which are passed throughthe openings 18 and are secured to the strap 17., At the 'upper end ofthe rod 19 is a loop 23 and at the upper end of the rod 22 is a loop2 1. Attached at one end to these loops 23 and 2 1 is a cable 25, whichcable is attached at its other end to a post or other object when thedevice is in use. By thus attaching the cable 25 to the loops 23 and 2Athe body portion of the anchor is held in the position shown in Figs. 1and 3 of the drawings-that is, the device is unfolded and in positionfor maintaining the anchor in the ground surface.

In practical use and assuming that it is desired to place the anchor inthe ground for holding the post or other object in position against anystrain which may be upon it a hole is made in the ground at the desiredangle to the ground surface and the body portion is swung to theposition shown in Fig. 2 and inserted into this hole, the hole beingonly of sufiicient size to admit the anchor when in the position shownin said figure that is, folded. When the anchor reaches the bottom ofthe hole, the upper end of the rod 19, if that rod happens to be the onewhich is deepest in the ground, is drawn upwardly, which will cause therounded end 12 of the body portion 10 to enter the ground at one side ofthe hole, and as the drawing is continued the body portion of the devicewill be swung into the position shown in Fig. 3 and the loops 23 and 24:will be adjacent to each other. Thehole is then filled up with earth andthe cable 25 is attached to the loops 23 and 2 1 and to a post or otherobject. ging the hole a post-auger is preferably used. When the cable 25is attached to both loops 23 and 2 1, it will be seen that the anchorcannot be swung from the position shown in Fig. 3 to that shown in Fig.2, owing to the fact that there is a draft on each end of it. When it isdesired to remove the anchor from the ground, one of the rods 19 or 22is released and the other is drawn upwardly, and this will cause one endof the body portion 10 to be drawn upwardly and the anchor can be easilyremoved from the ground without digging when power is applied to one ofthese In dig-.

rods, as the pulling on one of these rods causes the body to be easilyswung from the position shown in Fig. 3 to that shown in Fig. 2. Thereare various ways of attaching the rods to the body of the anchor, and wedo not intend to limit ourselves to any specific Way of attaching theserods to the anchor, as there are various Ways of pivotally connectingthe rods to the body of the anchor, any of which would be eflicient forthe purposes described, and cables could also be attached to the bodyportion and practically the same result would be accomplished.

Having thus described our invention, what We claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States therefor, is-

1. Inadevice of the class described, acurved body portion, rounded atthe ends, rods attached to the body portion at points outside of thecenter of the body portion.

2. In an earth-anchor, a body portion, rods having diverging endssecured to the body and outside its central portion, and means at theupper ends of said rods to which a cable or rope may be attached.

3. In a device of the class described, a curved body portion, loops oneach side and at each end of the body portion, a strap passing aroundeach end of the body portion and through the loops, each of said strapshaving a loop at each end of it. and rods secured to the loops in theends of the straps having loops at their free ends.

4. In a device of the class described, a curved body portion, loops oneach side and at each end of the body portion, a strap passing aroundeach end of the body portion and through the loops, each of said strapshaving a loop at each end of it, rods secured to the loops in the endsEZRA C. HOLDEN. HARRY HOLDEN.

I/Vitnesses:

W ALLACE R. LANE, SIDNEY F. CHRIsTY.

